Pope Benedict XVI opened the first working session of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization Oct. 9 by closely following the proceedings and issuing a call for a 'renewed evangelical dynamism' in the Church.

CNA/EWTN News

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI opened the first working session of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization Oct. 9 by closely following the proceedings and issuing a call for a “renewed evangelical dynamism” in the Church.

Martin, who is attending the synod as an observer, said that the Pope took a keen interest in the proceedings.

“He’s been taking copious notes, working harder, I think, than anybody in the room. It’s been extraordinary watching this man twice my age working twice as hard as I am.”

In his address to open the Oct. 9 working session of the synod, Benedict explained how the Church is missionary and that there are two branches of its mission.

Those areas are “the announcement of the Gospel to those who do not yet know Jesus Christ and his message of salvation and … the New Evangelization, directed principally at those who, though baptized, have drifted away from the Church and live without reference to the Christian life.”

The Tuesday session of the synod was dedicated to this New Evangelization, “to helping these people encounter the Lord, who alone fills our existence with deep meaning and peace; and to favor the rediscovery of the faith, that source of grace which brings joy and hope to personal, family and social life,” the Pope said.

He was joined in St. Peter’s Basilica by some 262 synod fathers — all of them bishops except for 14 priests. The Holy Father gave his opening address from prepared remarks.

Over the next three weeks, the Synod of Bishops will work to map out a New Evangelization of the contemporary world.

One of the synod fathers from an increasingly post-pagan society underscored the importance of this mission.

Archbishop Bernard Longley was appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Birmingham in England three years ago, and this is his first time attending a synod. Speaking to Catholic News Agency early on Oct. 9, he said that the second working day of the synod was particularly significant for the faithful in Great Britain.

“Today in England we’re celebrating the feast day of Blessed John Henry Newman,” said Archbishop Longley. “And I can’t but be moved by his example. He understood the people of his time. He listened to their needs. But he was able to distinguish between what they needed and were really longing for and the things that preoccupied them or kept them from the truth of Jesus Christ. So I hope I can bring something of this tradition to the workings of the synod, especially in the smaller groups.”

Blessed Newman is widely regarded as a forerunner of the Second Vatican Council because of his evangelistic orientation.

The synod coincides with the beginning of the Year of Faith, which will begin on Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II.

Something is not quite right at the Vatican. A Catholic Pope would not have someone who has not converted address the Vatican Synod during a Time of spiritual apostasy that is greater than that of the Arian Heresy. In this case, how can we determine if we have an anti Pope or if a group of persons is manipulating our Pope and we need to protect him?

Posted by Nancy D. on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 1:53 PM (EST):

With all due respect, those who recognize the personal and relational essence of the human person, created in The Image of God, understand that from The Beginning, every human individual has been created equal in Dignity, while being complementary as male and female to reflect Love. Our call to Holiness, is a call to authentic Love. We are called to live our lives in relationship with God, not as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transexual, polysexual…, objects of sexual desire, in direct violation of God’s own Commandment regarding lust and the sin of adultery, we are called to Holiness as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters…

Why was Rowan Williams asked to speak at the Vatican Synod when he denies the personal and relational essence of the human person in our relationship with God from The Beginning?

Posted by Eileen Thomas on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 11:15 AM (EST):

email to grandaughter: Thank you, Patti, for having this discussion.
I am following the line of thinking that you and others have in support of same-sex marriage, contraception, abortion, premarital sex, divorce, IVF, and other related issues. I do appreciate your genuine love and concern for your gay friends and the real emotional struggles regarding all these issues. And I agree we all should have your love and empathy for persons who suffer the difficulties of life. We definitely should address any injustices. I did watch the gay advertisements you emailed and, of course, I am bombarded daily by the liberal media. We can respect the rights of homosexuals and accept them in our pluralistic society without equating traditional marriage with same-sex unions. There’s the old saying “One can’t see the forest because of the trees”. These single issues are all connected and affect all of society. I’m sure you can see how they are intertwined.
The natural law theory is not about the nature of sex in other animals. The theory is about human nature and what universal moral principles that transcend cultures we can discover by human reason. Our founding fathers wrote “checks and balances” and limited governmental powers into our Constitution because they understood human nature. I think it was an ingenious idea that allows for our pluralistic population to live peacefully.
It seems ominous to me how language is being neutered. In France, the precise terms of mother and father are to be prohibited in public documents. Only the androgynous term “parent” will be permitted. Male-female marriages are to be equated to male-male and female-female unions. Language does make a difference. We have moved into the Brave New World, a world of Fifty Shades of Grey, and Fahrenheit 451. Anyone disagreeing is declared anathema. I heard Ellen DeGeneres yesterday. In the past, Thomas Moore got his head chopped off for not approving Henry VIII’s divorce. How dared he? And do we now dare dispute the right to gay marriage? We are accused of hatred and bigotry. The Constitution allows us to have a contrary view and not allow one faction to take over.
I read Tale of Two Cities in high school not Catcher in the Rye. The curriculum is more carefully selected these days to reflect the views of liberal experts. They believe they have a monopoly on the correct and only way to think and to view the world. They dominate the core curriculum of our schools and universities. Should we not inspire our students to aspire to the highest standards of behavior?
The current liberals in power have the world view that assumes they have the truth and the rest of us are wrong and need to be “educated” to the way they see things. I grant they have done a job on educating our young, on dominating government policies, and on monopolizing the media and supporting it with public funds. They legislate by judicial decree and attack anyone who disagrees with pejorative language.
You note that many educated persons do choose and thrive in traditional marriages.
Even poor people thrive in traditional marriages. There is something about the commitment and cooperation in traditional marriage that allows people to prosper. I remember my parents and grandparents. Do we want to replace the ideal of life-long marriage, its obligations and responsibilities for the love and care of children, with same-sex marriage as morally equivalent? Will that mean the moral code of no premarital sex, divorce or adultery on the part of gays if we legalize these marriages? If not, how will same-sex “marriages” ameliorate rising divorce rates, sexually transmitted diseases, troubled children, and single mothers living in poverty with no fathers to help them raise their children?
Christians do not hear an “uncertain trumpet.” We listen to a “different drummer.” We do not believe in same-sex marriage because there are numerous prohibitions in the Old and New Testaments. Those taboos are reinforced by human reason, sociological data, and the history of civilization. We are part of the American population and deserve to be heard.
What is our present code of sexual conduct? Is it sexual anarchy—that every variety of sexual activity is equally valid and acceptable and even to be encouraged by enshrining the practices into law and subsidizing them? What is the result? Is it not rising STDs, neglect of children, and the coarsening of the arts and entertainment? Shouldn’t academia, government, and the media be concerned about higher standards to improve the reality of family breakdown for our children and our growing public debt? This is not about enacting new laws but fostering a sense of social responsibility and a consensus about what is good for society as a whole.
Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, did pass DOMA, currently the law of the land. We accept gay and lesbian lifestyles as free choices. Gays and lesbians have the same civil rights as the rest of us and are able to make civil contracts to address their concerns. I submit that they do not have the right to change the language and impose by force of law a completely different view of marriage which does not naturally generate children. Let the gays live their lifestyles as they please. We just don’t want to be forced to support the same-sex lifestyle with our taxes. Or the killing of unborn babies. Or tax-subsidized contraceptives. If there are any tax subsidies for DOMA, we can change them. We do not want our liberty curtailed by the liberal agenda of total government control. We want freedom of speech and freedom of religion as our civil rights as laid out in our Constitution.
Love,
Grandma

Posted by Eileen Thomas on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 11:08 AM (EST):

There is a way that grandma and grandpa can engage with the youth. I have had an email conversation with my grandaughter at the University of Texas about same-sex marriage. From the NCR I learned about the Regnerus study on same-sex parenting and mentioned it in an email. This grandaughter was a practicing Catholic until she entered college. She has argued for same-sex marriage, but she has also listened to the Catholic arguments against ssm which we no longer hear in church. We need to engage the other side and present the Catholic viewpoint in a strong, reasonable debate.

Posted by JoshD on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 11:00 AM (EST):

@ Imperfect Catholic Pilgrim: this is a priority to the Church, and it is reflected in those who have been invited to attend the meeting, both people like Ralph Martin and Curtis Martin who have been on the front lines of youth and young adult evangelization and catechesis for years, as well as people like the aforementioned Abp. Longley who heads an archdiocese that hosts one of the premier schools for catechetical and evangelical formation in the English-speaking world in the MaryVale Institute.

I agree with the need to make evangelization a priority in youth ministry and youth minister formation, especially considering it is the field I work in. However, I hope you’ll be happy to know that this is a priority of the Church and of those who have been active in the work of the New Evangelization, even if it has failed to be a priority in certain areas (perhaps this has been your experience, I don’t know.)

I think it’s also important to note though that the Church teaches, and has always taught, that the formation of adults is the main focus of catechesis, itself a stage in the evangelization process. I would argue (and I’m a youth minister) that the bigger problem we’ve had has been our failure to evangelize the parents of our young people. They are the primary educators in the faith of their children, and we have to reach them. We have to continue to offer the Gospel to our young people through our parishes and youth ministries, but that will be so much easier if we reach the parents too!

Posted by Lived on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 10:38 AM (EST):

Oct. 11, year of Evangelization commences…To include ‘youth’, the church must understand that the youth refuse to participate in the Folly of Faith governing its elders. Although the legacy of those who came before them is to knuckle under and mindlessly obey. That is not the case in youth ministry, a group which disavows a slamming indoctrination, and insists upon thinking for itself.

Posted by Nancy D. on Thursday, Oct, 11, 2012 2:31 AM (EST):

I find it more than disturbing that Rowan Williams, who does not respect the Sanctity of Marriage and The Family, addressed the Vatican Synod. How can a anyone participate in a renewed Christian evangelism if he does not believe The Word of God regarding The Sanctity of Marriage and the personal and relational essence of the human person? It is precisely this false sense of ecumenism that has led to chaos and confusion in Christ’s Church leading many astray. No doubt, many of the elect have been deceived.

There will be no “dynamism” unless Catholic youth and Catholic Youth Ministers are at the forefront of this movement . Period. There is no way grandma and grandpa are going to come down out of their RVs and preach the gospel to wayward Catholics, nor are the legions of Catholic priests who cane barely speak English . The ONLY hope for a serious revival is if the pope gets serious about youth and holds the bishops accountable for moving youth leadership and evangelization development to the TOP of their priori list. The only attention Catholic leaders have been giving Catholic youth is the illegal kind that gets them defrocked. Until youth get to lead the way , the exodus to the margins will continue in earnest and soon the church will be nothing but old people and Hispanics

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